In collaboration with Dr. Hun Lye of Davidson College and Urban Dharma in North Carolina as well as the local Sangha members and lay Buddhist friends in California, we have nearly completed translating the Yoga Flaming Mouth rite (yuqie yankou), one of the few remotely Tantric texts used within the scope of East Asian Buddhism that has yet to have seen a full translation of the text. The rite is based off a collection of texts found in the "Esoteric Teachings Division" of the Taisho Tripitaka; the one frequently used today is the redacted version authored by Deji Jingan of the Bao Hua Monastery in 1693.

Pending a final revision from monastics as well as a foreword from Dr. Lye, I plan to have some hard copies printed around later November for temples and laypersons to use. If any of the forum members are interested in a copy or would like to contribute, let me know.

Some samples are listed below:

瓶中甘露如來置 The ambrosia in this vase comes from the Tathāgata. 要去塵勞不淨身 It is used to cleanse defilement from the impure body.我今乞取掌中存 I now take this water vessel into my palm,普灑法筵常清淨 and sprinkle it in all directions to purify the Dharma altar.

夫三寶者，千生罕遇，萬劫難逢。歸依者，福增無量；禮念者，罪滅河沙。冥冥大夜中，三寶為燈燭；滔滔苦海內，三寶為舟航；焰焰火宅中，三寶為雨澤。To encounter the Triple Gem is a rarity in a thousand lifetimes; even in ten thousand kalpas it is seldom met with. By taking refuge, one’s blessings are lengthened immeasurably. By paying homage, one’s transgressions as wide as Ganges’ sands are eradicated....In the darkness of night, the Triple Gem acts as a guide light. In the billowy sea of suffering, the Triple Gem acts as a boat. In a blazing fire, the Triple Gem acts as rain to extinguish.

以此甘露食，奉獻諸聖賢。憐愍我等故，慈悲哀納受。The ambrosial food is offered to the holy beings and sages.Have pity on us and accept our offerings out of compassion.

This is wonderful news. Yes, I would like to purchase (if it is for sale) or contribute dana for 2 copies.

If you believe certain words, you believe their hidden arguments. When you believe something is right or wrong, true of false, you believe the assumptions in the words which express the arguments. Such assumptions are often full of holes, but remain most precious to the convinced.

However, I am a little bit confused as to the "Yogachara", as this is the name of a Mahayana Philosophical school. Is this because the lineage of this ceremony was somehow connected with clergy holding the Yogachara view? If this question is foolish apologies.

JKhedrup wrote:Can someone tell me a little bit more about the Yogachara Flaming Mouth ceremony? I understand that "Flaming Mouth" is the name of a particular hungry ghost that is fed, according to Fo Guang Shan's description; http://dharma.fgs.org.tw/shrine/ibps-sw ... ism1-5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However, I am a little bit confused as to the "Yogachara", as this is the name of a Mahayana Philosophical school. Is this because the lineage of this ceremony was somehow connected with clergy holding the Yogachara view? If this question is foolish apologies.

I don't think the sutra explicitly mentions this, but the preta named Flaming Mouth that appeared to Ananda is considered a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, who told Ananda that he would fall into the preta realm in three days if he did not feed a large number of pretas. In response to his predicament, Ananda requested the Buddha to teach a method, whereby the Buddha taught the sutra explaining the use of the "Namah sarva tathagata avalokite om sambhara sambhara hum" mantra. This forms the core of the ceremony. Despite the sutra describing a very short and simple practice, the ceremony itself is considerably more elaborate, lasting some five hours in my experience. I have read somewhere (my memory fails me) that some form of the ceremony was not an original Chinese composition but translated from Tibetan, with familiar aspects of Chinese liturgical forms added to it.

I am personally inclined (and I believe the translation group also takes this view) that Yogacara is a mistranslation, and the actual word is Yoga. So what we have is the Yoga (of Liberating) Flaming Mouths.